Forget where you've parked? Google Now to the rescue!

Remember that episode of Seinfeld when the gang couldn't find their car parked in a mall parking lot? That wouldn't have happened if Google Now had been around back then. Google has updated its search app to version 3.4 and there is now a Google Now card that will help you remember the address where you parked, along with a map to help you find your way back to your vehicle. Look at it as a way for the app to navigate you back to your parked car. The card automatically picks up the address where you parked, and if for some reason it provides you with an incorrect address, it offers other possible ...

SoftBank and Sprint tipped to buy T-Mobile in June; combined carrier to be run by Legere?

It has been awhile since we last heard anything on the long rumored Sprint acquisition of T-Mobile. Considering the disdain that U.S. regulators have shown for this deal, we figured that SoftBank and Sprint had given up. Throw in the aggressive pro-consumer moves made by T-Mobile, and we figured that Sprint didn't want to deal with a company that was shaking things up in the mobile industry. After all, Sprint CEO Dan Heese seems as buttoned down as they come, the complete opposite of Legere's outspoken nature. T-Mobile's CEO made more money last year than the CEOs' of much larger Verizon and AT&T.



But ...

Poll results: Gold-colored smartphones - hot or not?

Earlier this month, we ran a poll asking you to share your opinion regarding gold-colored smartphones - since most major handset makers seem to love them lately. We received a total of 4,346 votes, and the conclusion is that golden smartphones are not as hot as manufacturers apparently believe they are. Well, at least not for our readers.



Only 18.72% of those who voted (792 users) truly dig gold-colored smartphones. Almost half of all voters (47.33%, meaning 2,057 users) said that they might like them, but in the end it all depends on the actual design of a handset ...

Steve Jobs tops CNBC's list of the most influential people of the last quarter century

Stock market cable channel CNBC is celebrating its 25th anniversary, so it decided to create a list of what it calls the "First 25: Rebels, Icons & Leaders." The list includes people like Oprah Winfrey, Warrenn Buffett and Oprah Winfrey to name a few. Number one on the list? The late Steve Jobs. The Apple co-founder's career was the focus of a video played on CNBC, which recalled the early years with 'The Woz', the introduction of the Mac, and Jobs' decision to handpick John Sculley as his successor.



That backfired when Jobs lost out to a boardroom coup and was axed from his own company. ...

HTC Desire 816 now available to buy in Europe, costs around $400

Launched in some Asian markets in March, the new HTC Desire 816 can now be purchased in Europe, too. For the moment, we’re seeing it available only in Romania, but we assume that customers in other European countries will be able to buy it pretty soon as well.



An unlocked Desire 816 is offered for $405 (1,299 RON) in Romania. The version that's available has dual SIM support - which might not be the case with the variants sold in other markets.



Announced at MWC 2014 in late February, the HTC Desire 816 is a large mid-end smartphone that measures 6.17 x 3.10 x 0.31 inches (156.6 ...

As spectrum deal closes, T-Mobile customers can look forward to faster 4G service

T-Mobile has closed on its deal to purchase a large block of 700MHz A-Block spectrum. This low band spectrum is more desirable than higher band spectrum because of its ability to travel longer distances and offer stronger indoor signals. Verizon sold the A-Block spectrum to T-Mobile for $2.365 billion. T-Mobile plans on deploying the spectrum right next to its 1900MHz holdings. CTO Neville Ray said that T-Mobile customers should start to see improvement in their service by the end of the year.



T-Mobile customers in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami, Washington ...

iOS 7.1.1 brings zippier, more accurate Touch ID

Notice a change in the speed and accuracy of Touch ID on the Apple iPhone 5s, after the update to iOS 7.1.1.? That is because Apple has allegedly changed the scanning process in the new iOS build, that recognizes the person who belongs to each fingerprint faster than before. With iOS 7.1.1, Touch ID takes multiple scans of your fingerprint in each position, instead of just a single scan. It then uses algorithms to predict problems with the scans that could take place in the future.



Originally, Touch ID was supposed to improve its accuracy every time you scanned a particular finger. But that ...

LG D855 (possible G3 variant with a 1080p display) certified in Indonesia

LG this morning revealed that it would host multiple press events on May 27, and all signs are pointing to the fact that the company intends to announce its new G3 flagship smartphone then.



As reported several times until now, the G3 will have multiple versions. One of them may be the LG D855, which recently received a certification from Indonesia’s Postel (the country’s equivalent of the FCC). The D855 was certified by Postel on April 22.



The D855 also has its own User Agent profile over at LG’s website. However, the UA profile currently lists a 1080 x ...

Nexus 6 said to be based on the LG G3

According to reports published on Wednesday, the Nexus 6 is going to be based on LG's next flagship smartphone, the LG G3. That means that the next stock Android Nexus handset, could feature the razor thin bezels expected on the LG G3, along with an embedded fingerprint sensor and IP67 certification. The Korean manufacturer has built the last two Nexus handsets.



It is not that the Nexus 6 will be a perfect copy of the LG G3. While the latter is believed to sport a 5.5 inch 1440 x 2560 resolution screen, the former will have a slightly smaller 5.2 inch display, an increase from the 5 inch ...

Quad HD vs 1080p vs 720p comparison: here's what's the difference

The new generation of Quad HD smartphones is coming. Quad HD is the common name for the new super-sharp smartphone resolution: after 720p phones’ arrival in 2011 and the jump to 1080p smartphones just last year, in 2014, we’re already bracing ourselves for the first wave of Quad HD smartphones. A few Quad HD smartphones are actually already on sale in China, but it seems that LG’s G3 will become the first truly massive smartphone with the new ultra-sharp resolution.

So what is Quad HD all about and what are the benefits it brings? As with any improvement ...

Alleged HTC One M8 mini image shows up, no Duo camera on the back

Expected to be available starting next month, the unannounced HTC One M8 mini may have been pictured today for the very first time.



What seems to be the One M8 mini appeared in an image posted via Weibo - the most popular Chinese microblogging platform. As you can see above, the handset has a protective case on, and looks a lot like the original One M8, with one major difference: it features a single camera on the back, not the Duo camera arrangement that’s found on the larger One M8. According to previous rumors, the rear camera of the M8 mini should be a 13MP ...

How to set up actionable, iOS-like lockscreen notifcations on Android

Throughout the years, Android has been missing a particular sliver of functionality that we love: iOS-like lockscreen notifications. By default, Android does not support this kind of functionality, and only a few apps (like Viber) will actually wake up your device's screen in order to draw your attention to a new notification. Even then, however, these aren't usually actionable.

Well, if you, like us, like this kind of functionality, then you'll be happy to know that there's an absolutely pain-free way to getting it with two simple apps that go hand-in-hand: NiLS Notifications ...

Spotify for Android now comes with darker visuals and new features

Almost a month ago, the iOS version of Spotify got completely overhauled with fresh new looks. The cosmetic revamp painted the interface of the app dark and made it significantly flatter. Those, who were toting an Android device were left out of the equation up until now, but Spotify announced today that the design-altering update has just started rolling out for Google's mobile OS, as well.



The theme of the app is now in complete unison with its iOS counterpart – this means that the flat interface is here to stay, regardless if you like it or not. We have to admit that the darker design ...

OnePlus One torn down for your pleasure, behold its insides

Ah, the OnePlus One! After a panoply of leaks, rumors, and speculations, the much-anticipated device got officially introduced a week ago. If you haven't been living under a rock recently, you probably already know that the smartphone combines top-of-the-line hardware with a pretty aggressive pricing. For starters, the OnePlus houses a Snapdragon 801 chipset, 5.5-inch 1080p display, 3GB of RAM, and a 3100mAh battery – the whole shebang is priced at $299 for the 16GB version and $349 for the 64GB one.

Yet today, thanks to the guys at IT168, we are treated to a teardown of the ...

500 Firepaper, a live wallpaper app developed by Chainfire, gets updated to version 2.0

If live wallpapers are your cup of tea, then you probably have stumbled upon 500 Firepaper for Android devices. It's a free wallpaper-centric app, created by one of the most popular XDA developers – Chainfire. 500 Firepaper makes use of 500px's vast database of photographs in order to provide your device with beautiful wallpapers that change after a predefined amount of time. The nifty app has just become a lot better and more useful, as Chainfire updated 500 Firepaper to the milestone version 2.0.



One of the most notable improvements enables the app to keep cached images from 500px ...

New ads for the Samsung Galaxy S5 show off the phone's features

We've always expressed our preference for smartphone ads that show off the features of a phone, instead of an ad that doesn't tell you a single thing abut it. The ads for the OG Apple iPhone, for example, were informative because they had to be. The consumer needed a quick 30 second education on the iPhone's features. On the opposite side, look at the ads for the HTC One (M8) starring Gary Oldman. The spot has a lot of "Blah-blah-blah-blah" in it, but nothing of substance regarding the phone.



Now, Samsung is beginning to run a series of informative ads for the Samsung Galaxy S5 that show ...

Six things you never thought you would control with a phone someday

Discovering new stuff to do with smartphones is one of our favorite leisury past-times. In fact, it can be a borderline existential crisis sometimes - today's top-shelf models put so much power at our fingertips that we sometimes wonder if we're using even half of it. Luckily, technological inventors and companies understand us and harness their potential to come up with all kinds of apps and accessories to fill the gaping void. Their efforts can be awkward and forced at their worst, brilliant at their best, just plain goofy, or a mix of all that.



Our short list of stuff you never thought ...

A Sony-made infographic wants you to know just how practical its waterproofed devices are

For over a year now, Sony has been pushing devices on the market that come with IP-certification, meaning that they're dust- and water-resistant. Some of them, anyway, and usually flagship models. Regardless, it would appear that Sony has struck a niche, at least according to a recent poll of ours: the majority of respondents seem to consider such protection a massive plus.

With that in mind, it shouldn't be surprising to see Sony pushing the waterproofed agenda, and this time around it has chosen the trendy infographic medium to relay the message. It turns out that quite some ...

Camera-centric Nokia Lumia 1020 stars in Bollywood music video

Like automobile enthusiasts who like to point out each model that passes by ("Look, that's a 1962 Rambler"), many of our loyal readers like to show off their knowledge of smartphones by calling out the name of a model that appears on a movie or television screen. If you have the habit of calling out smartphone manufacturers in a crowded movie theater, you probably will be told to get a life by those in attendance. On the other hand, jumping up and screaming that Donnie Wahlberg uses a BlackBerry Bold 9900 on the hit CBS show Blue Bloods will probably just earn you a rebuke from your spouse or significant ...

SEC filing reveals Microsoft loses money on each Microsoft Surface tablet sold

Last week, Microsoft reported its Q1 earnings, and filed the appropriate papers with the SEC. A look at the documents revealed that the Microsoft Surface has yet to sell in the volume necessary for the tablet to produce profits for the Redmond based software giant. In other words, each Surface sale is dripping more red ink on Microsoft's balance sheet.



For the three months ended March 31st, Microsoft lost $45 million on $494 million in Surface sales. For the nine month period ending in March, the red ink totaled $300 million on revenue of $1.8 billion. The cost of generating the Surface ...

Sony Xperia T2 Ultra Review

Introduction

Last year marked the time when phablets ganged up on the 6” display diagonal barrier, and the barren at the time market niche, suddenly started teeming with competition from every major manufacturer, like Samsung, HTC, LG and Nokia. Sony outed the jaw-dropping 6.4” Z Ultra phablet then, cramming top-shelf specs in an ultrathin, waterproof body.



This year, Sony is on a quest to conquer the midrange in the category, with the Xperia T2 Ultra - a 6” handset with a more affordable price tag that features a 720p screen, and a Snapdragon 400 processor, but sweetens the pot ...

Nexus 6 might come with a fingerprint sensor, to be based on LG G3?

Google might be planning to pull the plug on its Nexus family of devices, but not until it releases its 2014 Nexus smartphone model, according to insider information coming through Greek blog Android Geeks. Google is allegedly planning on releasing a new Nexus phone made in collaboration with LG, and that device is said to be largely based on the yet unofficial LG G3. Moreover, Google is allegedly in talks with Asian fingerprint sensor manufacturers, which could be taken as a hint that a possible Nexus 6 (that name is not confirmed, of course) would come with a fingerprint ...

Deal alert: $200 shaved off the Xperia Z Ultra Google Play edition

The whopping 200 bucks have been shaved off the Google Play edition Xperia Z Ultra's price tag, bringing the total down to the more agreeable $449. Sony's monstrosity of a 6.44-inch phone has now been on the market for some 10 months and this fact, in combination with the price reduction definitely begs some questions. Prime among those is whether Sony is actually close to releasing a sequel -- a Z2 Ultra if you will -- and just trying to spike demand in order to clear inventory before game time. At the same time, we haven't had any related leaks -- not even a peep.

Anyhow, ...

Retro chic: Nokia 808 PureView vs Xperia Z2 photo samples pop up

Remember the Nokia 808 PureView? The phone arguably started a veritable rat race in smartphone cameras, as it came announced with a gigantic, 41 MP sensor, forcing phone makers to rethink the strategy on their rear snappers. Some latest and greatest Androids now come with 16 MP, and even 20 MP cameras, while Nokia carved a Windows Phone niche among photogs with the Lumia line that carried on the PureView legacy.

Can the oldie Nokia 808 PureView with its Symbian platform take on a fresh Android flagship with a 20 MP camera, like the Xperia Z2? If that question has been bugging ...

A bunch of Huawei Ascend P7 live photos leak out a week ahead of announcement

Huawei's flagship refresh in the Ascend P7 is not expected to see its official announcement for another week, but a bunch of new live photos have already cropped up, as people are obviously starting to get their hands on the new device. From the looks of said images, the Ascend P7 is, once again, going to be an attractive device, though it doesn't really distance itself from its predecessor -- the P6. In fact, the differences are quite small.

According to the source, the Huawei Ascend P7 packs a 5-inch, 1080x1920 pixel resolution display, a home-cooked, quad-core Kirin 910T processor, ...

Snap-on smartphone accessory Peek-I lets creeps take photos discretely

Now here's an Indiegogo campaign for a project that's both clever and creepy at the same time – the Peek-I. Its purpose? To allow users to take candid photos and videos of people around them. That is, without having to point their phone at their target. The accessory is, basically, a rotating mirror that magnetically snaps on top of a smartphone's camera lens, allowing it to "see" things reflected at a 90-degree angle when opened. And when it is closed, the Peek-I looks like a cute and innocent decorative toy. Imagine the possibilities!

And ...

OnePlus reveals when the OnePlus One will be rolling off of the assembly line

The OnePlus One is not exactly rolling off the assembly line. The company has revealed its production schedule for the next few weeks. One hundred units of the 16GB Silk White OnePlus One have been built, and are being held aside for the winners of the contest where entrants are chosen to smash their current phone with a bat, dynamite or a truck.



From the middle of next month, to the end of May, OnePlus will build up enough inventory to cover all of the early invitations sent out to consumers who want to buy the phone. In early June, OnePlus will start to produce the larger capacity 64GB ...

Acer Aspire Switch 10 hands-on

The two Android based tablets unveiled at Acer’s event in New York City on Tuesday might be targeting specific users who require cheap and affordable tablets, but Acer wasn’t shy to show the same kind of presence in the Windows side as well. Borrowing elements we’ve seen established by Lenovo’s line of Yoga mobile computing devices, the Acer Aspire Switch 10 is aiming to accomplish the same feat, but in a more compact and affordable package. Part tablet, part full-blown laptop, this 2-in-1 device ensures itself as being a useful gadget on the road – where work and play can mix together.



Design

Wow! ...

Apple iPhone 6 case mold confirms certain design cues for the next-gen model

A picture of a black mold, believed to be used to produce prototypes of Apple iPhone 6 cases, was posted on a Chinese Apple forum. From there, it was spotted by a French site. Based on the features of the mold, the Apple iPhone 6 will take its design cues from the Apple iPad Air and the Apple iPad mini with Retina display.



With rounded corners, a very thin footprint, and pill-shaped volume controls, there could actually be some legitimacy to the rumor that the next iPhone iteration will be known as the Apple iPhone Air. The device would be just 6.1mm thick, compared to the 7.6mm thickness ...

Modern Combat 5: Blackout coming soon to smartphones and tablets

If you're serious about mobile gaming, then you've surely come across Gameloft's many premium titles, available on anything from iPhones and iPads to Nokia's Asha lineup of handsets. And one of the studio's most popular game series is Modern Combat – an action-packed first-person shooter boasting millions of downloads across multiple platforms. However, it has been well over a year since the latest installment, Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour, was released. The time seems right for a sequel to come, don't you think? Well, that's exactly what's launching in the coming weeks.

Today, ...

Acer Iconia Tab 7 hands-on

It’s not often we see or hear about premium 7-inch Android tablets from Acer, but at their press event in New York City recently, they introduced a model that’s gunning to be that combinational device. At the heart of the Acer Iconia Tab 7 is all of the usefulness and features of a 7-inch tablet, but it’s been given cellular connectivity on top of it – becoming a bridge mobile device for those looking to combine a smartphone and tablet. The question that remains is if can do enough to sway consumer interest towards it?



Design

Back during MWC 2014, we were astounded by the subtle premium ...

Acer Iconia One 7 hands-on

Acer held a press event in New York City earlier today, where they introduced its latest mobile computing devices. Full-blown Windows 8 laptops and all-in-ones were in abundance, but the event yielded two particular budget oriented Android tablets. Starting off with the one that’s bound to make its presence here stateside, the Acer Iconia One 7 is sure to entice consumers on a pinch with its hard-to-miss $129.99 cost.



Design

Compact, sleek, rounded around the edges, and lightweight, this 7-inch tablet has all the elements to make it a decent budget-oriented tablet. Generic is definitely ...

HTC One M8 activations still going strong in the US, despite the launch of Samsung's Galaxy S5

HTC America president Jason Mackenzie today told CNET that activations of the new One M8 smartphone were still “going strong” in the third and fourth weeks of availability, following the handset's initial March 25 release. Of course, Mackenzie only talks about activations in the US, so at the moment we can’t tell if the One M8 is as successful in other markets.



We also don’t know exactly how many One M8 units were sold until now. However, Jason Mackenzie said that these last weeks “outperformed” almost every week of sales in 2013, except for a couple of weeks when ...

Wireless Armour protects what is precious from your smartphone’s electromagnetic radiation

Meet Joseph Perkins. He wants to protect your particulars from the electromagnetic radiation you may be submitting them to from keeping your phone in your pants.



In short, he believes more needs to be done to protect the thing in your pants from that other thing you put in your pants. As such, what is basically a wearable Faraday cage was designed, in the form of men’s underwear.



Citing unnamed studies that show a man keeping a phone in his pants causes a reduction in sperm count and sperm motility. Of course, the research on health impacts from mobile phone radiation is inconclusive ...

Samsung shows off the Galaxy S5 with new ads about S-Health, power saving, and more

The world’s largest smartphone manufacturer threw some new videos up to show off all that is wondrous about the new Samsung Galaxy S5.



These new ads are targeted to US customers and are probably meant for internet-centric consumption, but when you have a marketing campaign as big as Samsung’s, you throw everything at the wall. The four new videos show off the arguably most distinctive features of the new flagship.



S-Health is touted as program to help you track your physical activity, and it is but a part of what is the first heart rate monitor built into a smartphone. Ultra Power ...

Latest Apple iPhone 6 concept video: 5.7 inch screen, 3D camera and a 'Nitelight'

The latest Apple iPhone 6 concept video, reveals some new features that might come in handy on the real thing. One feature, called Nightlite, illuminates the bezel, home button, and the Apple on the back. Eyes is the name for the dual camera feature on the back of this Apple iPhone 6 concept. The 3D stereo camera allows users to take 3D pictures with 3X optical zoom.



The 5.7 inch screen offers an edge-to-edge look with resolution of 1440 x 2560. An Apple A8X chip powers the handset and on back is a 13MP sapphire glass snapper. The front-facing snapper is 8MP and the body is made from aluminum. ...

Joe Belfiore, Microsoft’s VP of Windows and User Experience to hold an AMA this Friday on Reddit

One of the key figures behind the user experience of Windows and Windows Phone is none other than Joe Belfiore. He is almost always at the front of the line when it comes to presenting what is happening next with Microsoft’s Windows platform.



He has been with Microsoft for about 20 years, has been in touch with Windows Phone since the beginning, including the Zune software experience.



What if you could as Joe anything? This Friday, May 2nd, Joe Belfiore will be holding an AMA on Reddit beginning at 9:00am Pacific time. “I've been looking forward to talking to you all about WP in ...

78% of Twitter's monthly active users are tweeting from a mobile device

On Tuesday afternoon, Twitter released its earnings report for the first quarter of 2014. The 140 character messaging app now has 255 million monthly users. Of those users, 198 million are accessing the service from a mobile device. That means that 78% of Twitter users are tweeting from a smartphone or tablet. While the vast majority of Twitter users are using a mobile device, the growth in mobile subscribers is actually in a downtrend.



Back in the early days of Twitter, when most of the public thought that they needed to park their car to visit an app store, quarterly growth of mobile users ...

US Supreme Court now weighs if cellphones can be searched without a warrant

Today, the US Supreme Court heard arguments related to whether police need a warrant to search someone’s cellphone, even if that person is under arrest.



Two cases were argued, in Riley v. California the issue is whether Fourth Amendment rights afforded under the Constitution were violated as a result of evidence obtained from a cell phone and subsequently used at an earlier trial, resulting in a conviction.



In the United States v. Wurie, the argument is whether the Fourth Amendment allows the police to search someone’s cellphone without a warrant in the event of that person being ...

HTC One M8 Harman Kardon Edition hands-on

Ah, remember the days of exclusives? Apple once claimed the iPhone, Verizon armed itself with DROID, T-Mobile started a relationship with the myTouch, and Sprint evolved with the EVO. The days of exclusives are gone, evident by how phone manufacturers are now given the authority on what’s given to the carriers. The HTC One M8 has been making a lot of noise since its launch, but interestingly enough, Sprint is claiming a special edition of the beloved phone – the HTC One M8 Harman Kardon Edition, so you can say it’s sort of an exclusive.



Design

Grazing over the HTC One M8 Harman Kardon ...

Microsoft Office for iPad is updated to allow printing

While Microsoft’s Office suite of applications settles in with what could be argued a successful launch with the Apple iPad, one of the features that was missing from the launch was the ability to print.



In an update pushed out today, along with the usual bug fixes, Microsoft announced that in its first big update for Office for iPad, it added the ability to print to an AirPrint-compatible printer. Printing can be done with or without markup as well.



Not surprisingly, Microsoft noted that printing was easily the number-one-requested feature in the short month-and-change it has ...

Apple will soon top Nokia in total handset sales each quarter

It was all set in motion on June 29th, 2007, when the OG Apple iPhone was launched. From that moment on, Apple and Nokia were moving in different directions. Nokia once had what some might have considered an insurmountable lead over Apple, in the number of handsets sold each quarter. By handsets, we mean both feature phones and smartphones. While the Nokia N95 was a beloved phone back in the day, smartphones were not Nokia's bread and butter in terms of sales volume. In fact, they still aren't. Now, Apple is about to overtake Nokia with only a smartphone business.



When you see Samsung at ...

Moto X prices will start at $299 on May 1, Developer Edition will cost $325

In case you didn’t have the chance to buy the Moto X when it was on sale earlier this year, Motorola will host a new sale this week, on May 1 (for 24 hours, only in the US). On that day, the Moto X 16GB will cost $299.99 instead of $349.99, while the 32GB model will be sold for $324.99 instead of $399.99. The Moto X Developer Edition will be offered for only $324.99, too.



Although it’s Motorola’s flagship smartphone, the Moto X was never supposed to be a true high-end device, as its specs (starting with the 720p display) aren’t on par with what other flagships ...

Samsung Galaxy S5 Google Play Edition is teased on Google Play website

While we are pondering the future of Android, and in particular, the fate of Google’s Nexus line of devices, things are still business as usual in the Google Play Store.



There is one little interesting tidbit though, when browsing through the choices of Google Play edition smartphones, one thing stands out amongst the Sony and the HTCs, and the Motorola, and the LG G Pad. That is the Samsung Galaxy S4.



The Galaxy S4 Google Play edition has been available for some time now, but all it takes is a quick look to see that the rendered image is not a Galaxy S4, but in fact, a Galaxy ...

LG G3's rear buttons get a close-up

On Saturday, we asked you the musical question "Is this the back of the LG G3?." The question was related to a leaked photograph that we showed you, apparently revealing the rear buttons on the rumored next flagship model. The answer, was in the affirmative. After debuting on the LG G2, the Korean manufacturer has continued to use the rear placement of its power and volume controls on devices like the LG G Flex and the LG G Pro 2. And yes, we certainly do expect LG to keep that same form factor on its high-end phones for the foreseeable future.

LG ...

Nexus name said to be on the way out at Google

Is Google about to drop the Nexus name? According to a report from The Information, the brand is about to be dropped by the Mountain View based tech giant, and replaced with a Silver Certification program. This program would encourage certain hardware partners to manufacture super-spec'd high-end models that would limit the bloatware to a pre-determined number of non-Google apps. In addition, those owning devices involved in the Silver Certification program, would be allowed to delete these non-Google apps.



According to the report, two manufacturers that are currently willing to work with ...

Production of Apple iWatch has reportedly started

A report from China cites the country's supply chain as the source of a story, saying that Apple has started production of the long-awaited Apple iWatch. The report also states that instead of using Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) to build the timepiece, Apple will employ System-in-Package modules (SiP) instead. These modules are made up of integrated circuits, all wrapped up together in a single package.



Using SiP modules, the manufacturer can use up less space when installing internal hardware. The downside to using SiPs is that if one part of the module is bad, the entire module has to ...

Acer announces new Android tablets: Iconia One 7 and Iconia Tab 7 (with phone functionality)

Acer today introduced two new and affordable Android tablets: the Iconia One 7 (previously seen as the Iconia B1-730), and the Iconia Tab 7.



The Acer Iconia One 7 is the cheapest among the two, and you'll be able to buy it in various color options, including black, red, white, blue and pink. It offers a 7-inch LED-backlit IPS display with 800 x 1280 pixels, a dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z2560 processor, 1GB of RAM, microSD card support, and a battery that can last up 7 hours. There’s also a 5MP rear camera on the back, plus a secondary camera on the front. The tablet runs Android 4.2 Jelly ...

Help Joe the lumberjack get his wood back in Lumber Jacked – a fast-paced retro platformer

Lumberjacks hate it when someone fools around with their meticulously chopped wood. They really do, especially when it is a bunch of lousy rodents doing the mischief. Okay, maybe that's not exactly the case in real life, but that's totally the plot in Lumber Jacked - a fast-paced platformer game for Android and iOS. Here's the deal: this guy, Bustin Beaver, has stolen the lumber of Joe the lumberjack. Needless to say, Joe is not very happy about this, so he embarks on a mission to teach Beaver and his gang a lesson.



Lumber Jacked is split into multiple not-so-large stages, which you ...

BLU introduces its first LTE enabled handset, the BLU Studio 5.0 LTE

BLU has introduced its first LTE enabled handset, the BLU Studio 5.0 LTE. The phone is equipped with a 5 inch IPS screen with resolution of 540 x 960, which works out to a pixel density of 220ppi. Under the hood is a quad-core 1.4GHz Snapdragon 400 CPU with the Adreno 305 GPU handling graphics. 1GB of RAM is inside with 4GB of native storage included. If more storage is required, a 64GB capacity microSD slot is available. An 8MP snapper with AF and LED flash will capture video in 1080p at 30fps. There is also a 1.6MP front-facing shooter for selfies. A 2000mAh battery keeps the lights on,and Android ...